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Fred Claire says he's involved in group pursuing Dodgers

November 2, 2011 | 1:38
pm

Fred Claire, the general manager of the Dodgers' last World Series championship team, said Wednesday that he has joined an investment group interested in buying the team.

Claire said he has worked since July with Ben Hwang, a onetime Dodgers batboy who is the president of the investment group. Hwang is a former senior executive at Life Technologies Corp., an international biotechnology company.

The third principal in the group is Andy Dolich, formerly a top business executive for the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco 49ers, Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies.

Claire said the group has secured some of the funding necessary to bid on the Dodgers and has met with investors in the United States and Asia in hope of securing the rest. The team could command $1 billion or more at auction.

Claire worked for the Dodgers for 30 years, serving in the publicity and marketing departments before replacing Al Campanis as the club's general manager in 1987. The Dodgers won the World Series in 1988, their last appearance in the Series. Every other National League West club has appeared in the World Series since then.

Claire left the Dodgers in 1998, after his corporate superiors at Fox negotiated the trade of Mike Piazza to the Florida Marlins. Claire said he has no particular position in mind for himself should his group buy the Dodgers.

"That's not my motivation," he said. "My interest is to play whatever role is needed to get the Dodgers back to where they need to be -- on the field, in the community, and internationally."